SB 5.5.2

mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes
tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam
mahāntas te sama-cittāḥ praśāntā
vimanyavaḥ suhṛdaḥ sādhavo ye

mahatplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigmahat

a great; a great personality; a Vaiṣṇava; all-perfect; astounding; by great personalities; exalted; glorious; great; great soul; insurmountable; into a gigantic body; most exalted; of an exalted personality; of great devotees; of great saintly persons; of great souls; of the great devotees; severely; supreme; the best; the great; the greatest; the total material energy; the total material existence; thick; to a great personality; to great personalities; very big; very great; very great, exalted; very, very great.-sevāmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsevām

service; transcendental loving service.—service to the spiritually advanced persons called mahātmās; dvāramplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigdvāram

door; gate; the gate; the gateway; the holes; the way.—the way; āhuḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigāhuḥ

all the learned scholars say; are called; declare; have said; is called; is known; is said; is spoken; it is said; it is so said; learned scholars say; said; say; says; speak; the gopīs said; they began to say; they call; they said; they say.—they say; vimukteḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigvimukteḥ

of liberation.—of liberation; tamaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtamah

tamas; and of the mode of ignorance; and the mode of ignorance; by ignorance; dark; darkness; darkness in self-knowledge; from the darkness of hellish life; great darkness; hell; ignorance; ignorance in the material world; in ignorance; in the darkest region of hellish life; in the mode of ignorance; material nature; mode of ignorance; mundane ignorance; nescience; nothing but darkness; of darkness; of illusory existence; of the darkness; the dark planet; the darkness; the darkness of ignorance; the darkness within the material creation; the greatest; the material condition of sleeping; the mode of darkness; the mode of ignorance; the mode of ignorance, by which one performs pious and impious activities; the mode of ignorance, or the darkness of night; the ocean of nescience; to darkness; to ignorance.-dvāramplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigdvāram

door; gate; the gate; the gateway; the holes; the way.—the way to the dungeon of a dark, hellish condition of life; yoṣitāmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigyoṣitām

of the women; of women; of women and money.—of women; saṅgiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsangi

associate; connected; of associates; with associates.—of associates; saṅgamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsaṅgam

association; attachment; the association.—association; mahāntaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigmahāntaḥ

great personalities; great souls; highly advanced in spiritual understanding; the larger one; the strongest.—highly advanced in spiritual understanding; teplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigte

all; all of them (the demigods and demons); all of them (the demigods and the demons); all of them; all of those; all the gopas; all the asuric ministers; all the demigods; all the demigods and demons; all the demons; all the great sages; all the Pracetās; all the sons; all the sons of Jamadagni; all the watchmen; all those; all those persons who arrived; also from you; as desired by you; by him; by them; by You; for you; for your; from you; in your possession; Lord Paraśurāma's mother and brothers; of the two divisions; of them; of you (mother Ganges); of You (O dear Lord); of you; of Your good self; of Your Lordship; of yourself; speaking to you; such; such as you; such austerity and knowledge; such household life; such persons; such pure devotees are fully satisfied; that; that is; the gopīs and gopas; the hotā, brahmā and other priests; the cowherd men and ladies; the demigods; the demons (Yakṣas and Rākṣasas); the demons; the Gandharvas; the great sages (the Kumāras); the husbands; the men of Kārtavīryārjuna; the Pracetās; the Pāṇḍavas; the sages; the sons of Kārtavīryārjuna; the Yakṣas; their; therefore; these; these sons (the Savalāśvas); they; they are; to you; unto you; with you; You; your; Your Lordship; your request; Your service; yours; yourself.—they; samaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsama

and equal; equal; equal level; equal or proper; equal to; equally; equiposed; just like; like; of equal; same; symmetrical; the same; unaltered.-cittāḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigcittah

concentrated; consciousness; intelligence; thoughts and actions; whose consciousness.—persons who see everyone in a spiritual identity; praśāntāḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigprasantah

very peaceful (Prahlāda Mahārāja).—very peaceful, situated in Brahman or Bhagavān; vimanyavaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigvimanyavaḥ

without anger (one must distribute Kṛṣṇa consciousness to persons who are hostile without becoming angry at them); without anger.—without anger (one must distribute Kṛṣṇa consciousness to persons who are hostile without becoming angry at them); suhṛdaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsuhṛdaḥ

all His friends and relatives; benefactor; friendly; friends; intimate friends; the cowherd boy friends; the friends; those who are friends to everyone; to Your well-wishers; toward relatives and friends; well-wisher; well-wishers; well-wishers of everyone; wellwishers; who are the friend of the devotees; who are well-wishers.—well-wishers of everyone; sādhavaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsādhavaḥ

sādhus; abiding by scriptures; all great souls; all pious; all saintly persons; all the saintly persons present; both of you are great saintly persons; decorated with all good qualities; devotees; endowed with all good qualities; following the injunctions of the śāstra; honest; persons who are very well behaved (perfect in all respects); qualified devotees, without abominable behavior; saintly persons; saints; the devotees; the pure devotees; the purified men who are honest; the saintly persons; the saints; those who were honest; who are endowed with all good qualities, or who do not look for faults in others; who are inclined to perform welfare activities; whose behavior is very exalted.—qualified devotees, without abominable behavior; yeplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigye

all; all of them; all of them who; all of which (duration of life, opulence, etc.); all of which; all of which persons; all of whom; all of you; all of you who; all such; all such devotees who; all that; all these; all they; all those; all those persons who; all those who; all who; also others who; although; anyone; anyone who; as also others; as we are; both of whom; certainly; even those; he who; his; indeed; one; one who; one who is; others; others who; persons who; since; so that; some of the demons who; such persons; such persons who; that; that one who; that which; the devotees who; the one who; the one who is; the person who; they; they who; those brāhmaṇas who; those; those devotees; those devotees of Mine who; those devotees who; those persons; those persons who; those Vaikuṇṭha persons; those which; those who (are); those who; those who are; what; whatever; whatever they are; which; which desires; which others; which personalities; which persons; which two parts; who; who are; who is; who were; whoever.—they who. ¶

One can attain the path of liberation from material bondage only by rendering service to highly advanced spiritual personalities. These personalities are impersonalists and devotees. Whether one wants to merge into the Lord’s existence or wants to associate with the Personality of Godhead, one should render service to the mahātmās. For those who are not interested in such activities, who associate with people fond of women and sex, the path to hell is wide open. The mahātmās are equipoised. They do not see any difference between one living entity and another. They are very peaceful and are fully engaged in devotional service. They are devoid of anger, and they work for the benefit of everyone. They do not behave in any abominable way. Such people are known as mahātmās. ¶

The human body is like a junction. One may either take the path of liberation or the path leading to a hellish condition. How one can take these paths is described herein. On the path of liberation, one associates with mahātmās, and on the path of bondage one associates with those attached to sense gratification and women. There are two types of mahātmās—the impersonalist and the devotee. Although their ultimate goal is different, the process of emancipation is almost the same. Both want eternal happiness. One seeks happiness in impersonal Brahman, and the other seeks happiness in the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As described in the first verse: brahma-saukhyam. Brahman means spiritual or eternal; both the impersonalist and the devotee seek eternal blissful life. In any case, it is advised that one become perfect. In the words of Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 22.87)plugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigŚrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 22.87

"A Vaiṣṇava should always avoid the association of ordinary people. Common people are very much materially attached, especially to women. Vaiṣṇavas should also avoid the company of those who are not devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa.: ¶

asat-saṅga-tyāga,—ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra
‘strī-saṅgī’—eka asādhu, ‘kṛṣṇābhakta’ āra

To remain unattached to the modes of material nature, one should avoid associating with those who are asat, materialistic. There are two kinds of materialists. One is attached to women and sense gratification, and the other is simply a nondevotee. On the positive side is association with mahātmās, and on the negative side is the avoidance of nondevotees and women-hunters. ¶